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‘The spirit to win and the will to succeed are measured one stunt at a time.’

What a better incentive to become part of such a highly skilled and talented group of young people. Forget kicking a football around the park, try a fusion of elevated stunts, tumbling and hyper-sharp, energetic dance.

Cheerleading is becoming an extremely popular activity around the UK, with more and more teams showing up each year to compete at specialized competitions, representing their home towns with pride and modernistic flair.

Practising the pyramid sequence

North Yorkshire’s thriving youth locale consists of several newly formed teams; either just for fun, or training to succeed to competition standard, at the American inspired sport.

The East Coast Tigers are Scarborough’s only all star squad, training two or more times a week to create a fresh routine for the regional championships in December. Having only just come away with the amazing triumph of gaining 4th place in the UK, at the 2008 International Cheer and Dance Competition in Brighton, the team is even more excited about their second group entry.

The York All-stars also came away with pleasurable results after admitting teams into over eight different categories at the championships, which is the largest contest in Europe.

'Gold, white, black, yeah that's right we're back. East Coast Tigers, ready to attack!'

It is competition time that really pays off for all the hard work cheerleading can be. As a member of East Coast Tigers myself, I feel I have learned so much more than how to throw a girl two meters into the air. It is such a rewarding sport; we go to so many lengths to instigate different ideas for the choreography and synchronisation that build up our routine. The team is like a family, we all work so hard together to fulfil our dream of being the best we can be.

The team at competition

The group is made up of girls and boys aged from 11 to 21, most of them cheering for over three years. The Tigers support and perform at many local events including Acoustic Gathering in September and Scarborough Football Club.

They are looking forward to entering a Senior Co-ed team and Junior Stunt section at level three, alongside a Partner Stunt and All-Girl Stunt group at level five for competitions in December. The squad is currently looking for sponsorship to fund the team’s activities so they can keep representing North Yorkshire with a revolution of sparkling aspirations, cheers and determination.

If you would like to find out more about the East Coast Tigers please contact me through the box below.

Nadia Emam